Card punching mechanism



Jul 11, 1939. H, KROEGER 2,165,388

CARD PUNCHING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 18, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR G.-H.KROEGER July 11, 1939. H KROEGER 2,165,388

CARD PUNCHING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 18, 1958 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

INVENTOR G. H.KROEGER BY M J y 1939- G. H. KROEGER 2,155,388

- CARD PUNCHING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 18, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 3

FIG.5.

mvzuroa G. H.KROEG ER Patented July 11, 1939 I I lcARD PUNCHING MECHANISM Gustav H. Kroeger,

Herkimer, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buffalo, N. Y., a corpora lieu of Delaware Application February 18, 1938, Serial No. 191,179 V 5 Claims. (01.164-112) This invention relates to statistical card punches and more particularly relatesto structural means for efficiently operating parts thereof.

Statistical card punches similar to the structure herein described, have been disclosed in numerous patents, such as No. 1,985,101 of December 18, 1934, or No. 2,044,208 o-f'June 11, 1935, both to W. W. Lasker. Copending patent application Serial No. 104,391, filed by Lasker also discloses the general type of punch structure to which this invention-may be adapted. 1

In many applications of punched cards, particularly those which classify and tabulate freight cars and car loading data, it is convenient to employ a means of cancelling on y certain data after punching a card, leaving a portion of the data such as the date, destination, etc, ready for punching in the next and. succeeding cards. There are means at the disposal of the operator for doing some selective cancelling on the pres? ent machines but the structure herein to be described is more comprehensive and better adapted tothe existing problems.

The device consists of a hand-operated push bar which actuates a lever haying contact with some of the first row set pin-s, forcing them down in unison when the bar is operated. An adjust:- able collar is provided on the push bar, which limits the motion of the bar and lever so that the set pins are forced down only far enough to un-.- latch all pins in the field leaving it clear for an- .other set-up.

The object of this invention is to provide a means .for selective cancelling of specified data in a statistical card punch.

Another object isto provide a cancelling means which is hand-operated and entirely independent of any other punch operation.

Another object is to provide a structure for cancelling data in set fields when the fields arenot adjacent to each other. 7

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a card punch showing the operating handle ofthe new device; a

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the left-hand side of a card punch showing the erase mechanism in more detail;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a portion of thesetting carriage showing the erasing lever;

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view showing the action of the erasing lever and set bars. a

rows of 12pins each.

.them falling through the plate to the right (Fig. 4) with the Fig. 5 is a plan view of the erasing mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of the erasing plate member. 3

The card punch shown. in Fig. 1 consists: of a frame Ill upon which are mounted the several parts of the punch assembly. The motor-generator H supplies-both mechanical and electrical power to operate other parts of the mechanism. A clutch assembly 12 operates the carriage return, backspace and punching operations. A keyboard 13 is provided which contains the keys necessary for controlling the set-up of the data to be transferred to the card. These keys operate switch contacts beneath the key panel and thereby control a series of solenoids M which by means of Bowden wires l5, communicate the motion of the solenoid armatures to the levers 16 on the setting carriage IT. in this type of. punch, the cards are not perforated until the entire data set-up has been made. Then this punching operation is accomplished in a single die movement. The set-up is first made by the setting carriage ll, which is progressively spaced longitudinally of the machine as the data is transferred to a field of set bars 20 interposed between thepunches 2i and the setting carriage. V The punches 2| are mounted in plates 19 and lila and eggtend through a plate 22 which together with die plate 18 form a card chamber. The plates ;22 and 19a with the die plate l8 are secured together to form a unitary structure which is capable of being raised by a cam (notshown) through the action of arm I8a. Each of the above plates including the die plate contain 540 holes in which the'punches 2| are positioned in The tops of the punches are provided with an enlarged head to. prevent The field of set bars 20 consists of 540 bars, one of which is located directly above each punch. The bars are held in position by. suitable guide plates and urged upwardly by springs 23, (Fig. 4). VVh'en a set bar is depressed by a lever 16 on the setting carriage 11, an extrusion 24 formed on each set bar, engages the inclined surface of a cam face 25 formed in a locking slide 26, forcing the slide to the left (Fig. 4) until the extrusion 24 has passed beyond theedge of the cam at which time the locking slide is free to'move into its original position thereby locking the bar depressed. A'flat spring 21 urges the locking slides result that the set bar is held down in its depressed position until released by the operation of a second set-bar in thesame column.

After the data has been entered in the set bar field, the machine is ready for punching a card. The feed rollers 28 feed a card from a supply stack in the magazine 30 to the card chamber and held therein by a card stop 50. The plates lea, 22, and I8 are then lifted upwardly, forcing the punches against the set-bars which have been latched down thereby punching a hole in the card in those positions. In positions where the set bars have not been latched, the punches are lifted by the card and no perforation results.

When the punching operation is finished, the card stop 3| is lowered and the card is fed out of the card chamber. The carriage is returned to its initial position at the left-hand end of 'the set bar field (Fig. 1) and the machine is ready to set up data for the next card. When the card is to contain data which is totally different from the preceding one, the trip key is depressed and a card is punched with the return of the carriage and a cancellation of all the data previously set up. When, however, a large part of the data for one card is to be repeated on the next, and only a small portion changed, it is convenient to erase only that part which is to be changed and retain the rest. This may be done with the present machines by depressing thecard, carriage return key which punches a card, returns the carriage, but does not cancel the set-up.

I-Ieretofore the carriage was moved to that part of the field where the new data. was to be substituted for the old, and the erase key depressed for each character to be removed. The carriage was then moved back to include the same field and the new data set up as previously described. While this method is more convenient than setting up the entire card, it may be improved upon by the erase mechanism which will now be described.

A shaft 32 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) is mounted in the brackets 33 and 3 5 secured to the frame 35 of the set bar basket. Secured to the shaft 32 is a lever 31 and a plate 38. The plate 38 is positioned above and adapted to engage the first set bars 20 corresponding to the 12 position of a predetermined field of-the card.

Formed on the lower end of lever 31 is a fork 39 the arms of which are slotted to engage a pin 33 which is set into the end of a push rod 4|. Thepush rod is slidably supported by two bearing plates -42 and 43 one of which, 42 is formed with a boss having a set screw 44 therein which engages a flattened portion 35 of the rod and prevents it from turning. The other plate 43 forms a stop for a collar 46 which limits the return movement of the rod, and also provides a bearing for a spring 31, which is. adapted to hold the device in normal position. A suitable button or lever 48 is secured to the front end of the push rod M to facilitate manual operation.

When it is desired to erase the data set upon the predetermined field the rod 4| is pushed in by pressing on button 58 thereby rocking the lever 37 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2) thus rocking the plate 38 down to depress the associated bars 20. A full stroke of rod 4| which is determined by the handle 48 rocks the lever 31 through a predetermined angle such that the set bar 20 associated therewith will cam the locking slide 26 to its extreme position shown in Fig. 4 where the extrusions of all bars which have been locked down will be free of the cam face thus permitting all actuated bars to rise.

When the button '44 is released the lever 31 returns to normal position and the associated set bars return to their unlatched position, due to the fact that they were not depressed beyond the point of the cam 25. In this manner a single operation will erase all the data which had been set up in certain columns of the set bar field.

It is not necessary to have the erase mechanism operate on a single area or field of set bars. By'extending the plate 38 for the entire length of the set bar assembly and cutting out specified portions of the edge of the plate (Fig. 6), any number of areas may be erased by this device resulting in the elimination of any combination of data that had previously been set up.

The device is used in the following manner: After a set-up as been completed, the card, carriage return key is depressed which punches the set-up data in a card and returns the carriage without cancellation. Then the button 48 is pushed in manually, erasing the predetermined areas and the skip key is operated to bring the carriage to the first settable stop which has been placed at the beginning of the first erased field. The new data is then set into this field and the skip key again operated to position the carriage at the beginning of the second erased field, and this procedure is continued until the data has been completely set. A card is then punched and the operation repeated as described for each additional card.

Besides the adaptation 'of this invention to freight car statistical work as hereinbefore mentioned, the device is well suited to department store accounting where a card is punched for each lot of merchandise received. When a number of similar lots is received, the cards, which must be punched to represent this material, con-- tain a great percentage of identical data and considerable time is saved by setting'up only the change of data rather than the entire card. In some cases, this change in data is only a different lot number and the speed at which these cards are produced with this invention is measurably increased.

While I have described what I consider to be a highly desirable embodiment of my invention,

it is obvious that many changes in form could be made without departing fromthe spirit of my invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact form herein shown and described, nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth, and as' hereinafter claimed,

What I claim as new, and'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a statistical card punch having a field of set bars capable of being latchedinto an operating position, the combination of a plate member, a levermember and a connecting rod, the said plate member being secured to the said lever member and engaging the ends of a pluralityof set bars, the said lever member being pivotally mounted and engaged by the said connecting rod whereby motion is communicated to the set bars causing their partial depression, said depression releasing all the set bars in a single coacting column.

2. In a statistical card punch having a field of set bars capable of 'being locked in an operating condition, the combination of a pivoted lever, a plate member which engages the upper ends of one row of said set bars and is secured to the said lever, and a manually operable connecting member which engages the said lever whereby the combination may be operated to partially depress the said row of set bars and unlock the set bars in said field.

3. In a statistical card punch having a column of set bars capable of being locked into operating condition by a locking slide and capable of being released by the partial depression of a single set bar, the combination of a pivoted lever, a flat plate secured to said lever and a push rod which engages said lever whereby the operation of said push rod causes the said fiat plate to engage, depress and unlatch a plurality of set bars.

4. In a statistical card punch having a field containing a plurality of columns of set bars capable of being latched into operating condition and capable of being unlatched by the partial depression of a single set bar in each column, the

combination of a pivoted lever with a flat plate secured to one end thereof and a push rod which engages with said lever whereby the operation of said rod causes the plate to engage and unlatch a plurality of columns of set bars.

5. In a statistical card punch having a plurality of columns in a field of set bars capable of being latched into operating condition and capable of being unlatched by the partial depression of a single set bar in each of said columns, the combination of a lever member and a push rod, the said lever member engaging a set bar in each of said columns of set bars at one end thereof and being pivotally attached to the push rod at the other end with means for manual operation.

GUSTAV H. KROEGER. 

